Las Plumas High football team hopes for Victory Bell game repeat

OROVILLE — It's still early in the season for the Las Plumas High football team, but no week may mean more than this one — it's Victory Bell time.

The Thunderbirds take on Oroville as the crosstown rivals meet Friday at Harrison Stadium, the field the two teams share. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

"This is the one that counts the most," LP cornerback Stephen Lawrence said.

Las Plumas expects the annual game, in its 52nd year, to bring the best out of its team.

"You can tell everyone is more uptempo," starting inside linebacker Robert Daley said. "You can see it in practice. Everyone is running harder. Everyone is more pumped up."

The Thunderbirds haven't started the season the way they wanted with losses to Corning and Pleasant Valley. But a 21-18 setback at Anderson last week showed LP it is making progress after installing a new offensive system, which is a hybrid of a wing-T and pistol offense.

"We've started to find a rhythm. I think we'll be on all cylinders from here on out," coach Dave Morris said.

Leading the way is halfback Ronnie Osby, who had a pair of long touchdowns runs at Anderson, and quarterback Jess Little, who added his own TD run. The two seniors started last year as Las Plumas went 3-7 that included a 28-0 triumph against Oroville.

"We're trying to follow up last year. We're trying to start a trend," said Osby, who doubles as an inside linebacker.

The Thunderbirds said they know what they need to do to enjoy another defensive outing like last year's shutout.

"Eleven helmets around the ball carrier at all times," said Jarod Shanahan, a two-way starter at right tackle and defensive tackle. "Each week, we're getting better and better."

While the game doesn't need extra significance, the contest also serves as the Butte View League opener for both.

"We're putting everything we've got into the Bell game," Little said.

The Thunderbirds would relish another win against the Tigers, who lead the series 37-12-2. But Las Plumas has won two of the past three matchups, including a 17-14 victory in 2010.

Las Plumas won the Bell two years in a row in 1986-87 and bested its rival three straight times from 1979-81. Pulling another rare double would mean quite a bit.

"It could show we've had a lot of progress, and that LP is finally coming back," said Daley, a junior.

Morris said the team has missed Jacob Awa, a two-way starter at left guard and linebacker, after he needed an appendectomy just before the season started. Other than Awa, the team is relatively healthy and ready for a big game.

"It's all going to come down to who wants it more," Little said. "It's definitely LP. We're out here practicing really hard."

That's because, as Osby said, for the seniors, who enjoyed the Bell the past year, keeping it "would be the ending to a perfect day."

Las Plumas Starting Lineup

Offense

QB — Jess Little

HB — Ronnie Osby

LHB — Stephen Lawrence

RHB — Jacob Hill

WR — A.J. Cahee

WR — Jorge Rojas

LT — Dominik Davis

LG — Austin French

C — Ricky Fox

RG — Bryan Sands

RT — Jarod Shanahan

Defense

DE — Johnathan Hansen

DE — Dalton Worley

DT — Dominik Davis

DT — Jarod Shanahan

OLB — Jason Ogletree

OLB — Alex Van Quick

ILB — Robert Daley

ILB — Ronnie Osby

CB — Stephen Lawrence

CB — Jorge Rojas

S — Jeffrey McKeehan

Specialists

P — Jess Little

K — TBD

For a story on the Oroville High team, see today's Enterprise-Record and Mercury-Register.